Delta Junction area declared agricultural disaster area

ANCHORAGE (AP) -- The Delta Junction area has been designated a disaster area by the Department of Agriculture, U.S. Rep. Don Young announced Wednesday.

Young said in a press release that the area suffered losses in August and September after excessive rain and unusually cold temperatures caused economic hardships.

A federal review concluded that the area had sustained sufficient production losses to warrant the disaster designation.

The designation makes family-size farm operators eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.

The Denali, Fairbanks-North Star, Matanuska-Susitna, Valdez-Cordova and Yukon-Koyukuk areas were designated as contiguous disaster areas. Family-size farms in those areas will also be eligible for consideration for low-interest emergency loans, Young said.